Towards more efficient zeolite catalysts
Zeolite catalysts are porous, crystalline materials with relatively rigid, negatively charged aluminosilicate framework structures. They have applications in the petrochemistry and oil refining industries, as well as in the production of high-value chemical compounds. The negative charge that is created by substituting aluminum for silicon in the framework can be balanced by a proton to form an active site for catalysis. A zeolite's efficiency depends on where these active sites are located in the porous network, and a synthesis strategy to direct the distribution of aluminum in the framework of the zeolite ferrierite was developed recently. The EU-funded 'Crystallography-assisted synthesis of zeolites with tailored acid site distributions' (CRYSTALZEO) project has applied crystallography as a tool to characterize the location of the active sites in ferrierite samples synthesised using this strategy, which is based on a rational selection of organic cations for the synthesis. This pioneering work will help to make zeolite synthesis a more rational process, in which the arrangement of active sites is tailored for specific catalytic reactions. As a result, the catalysts will be more highly selective, thereby minimising the amount of side products and reducing the deactivation rate.
Keywords
Zeolite catalyst, atomic structure, high-value chemical compound, petrochemistry, crystallography, acid site distribution, zeolite synthesis
